Yep, the rest are all poems, minus one one act play and I guess one short story that no one should ever take seriously or read, haha. I consider myself as having only two multi-chapter fiction stories!

So I updated Whimsy today and got... like... four hits. And no reviews. I was a little disheartened. What do I need to do to get more people to read my story? The feedback I've gotten so far has been very positive so I think my story is good.

How do some people get between ten and twenty reviews a chapter? I just don't get it.

Join now and you'll start getting more reviews if you jump in the game, of course, you have to review people too, but it's totally worth it. Oh! And to join, just go to Introduction and introduce yourself, and then go to "Read This First" to get the rules of the game, it's pretty easy to follow, you can look at the forums too to get the pattern of the topics. Everyone is super friendly as well!

You know though, you have to work hard and diligently to get reviews--I think generally that people who have a TON of reviews either have their friends reading too, or some times I get suspicious and think some people create a different profile and then review their own stuff some times...like seriously, I've seen stuff like that and it's super odd, haha. The most reviews I ever got was about 105 for Vampire and The Romantics before I deleted it, it had been on the site for about three years though--I seriously doubt I'll ever get that many again, haha. But yeah it really frustrates me when I see people with like, over 500 reviews or something, it really made me jealous when I saw someone with over 1000. I was super confused--I can't help my jealousy, it just happens, I can't be blamed ;D

Okay, the most reviews I've seen was on ff.net for a twilight story, and it had/has over 10,000. To the author's credit though, it's freaking awesome and has lemons galore. On fictionpress it's usually around 2,000. Dosen't matter though, because as long as you know what you're doing is good and worthwhile than someone else probably will too. Don't need a billion reviews to tell you that! And I promise to catch up on Whimsy later :)

yeah, first drawn took a while to get any reviews at all. finally i got desperate and begged my friend to review it XD. (Didn't know about the RG then). i kept looking at it going, i think its alright. is it actually really really crap? am i totally deluded? but then i got a couple of people reading, and 4 readers times 50 chapters got me 200 odd reviews. The thing is, people only see it when it first goes up or if its on someones favourite list, or when its updated/ reviewed (I think, right? Otherwise it sinks to oblivion at the end of the list). Once people know you then they tend to check out your other works, which is where stuff like the review games writing challenge contest is really helpful because around 15 people automatically have to read your entry (and you theirs), so the exposure is pretty cool. the roadhouse i've heard can be good too? I'm not that brave yet XD.

how often you update can be a thing too, i tend to update quick, as soon as the people currently reviewing have read the chapter, which means i've finished up posting after a few weeks, and there's this behemeoth sitting there with no advertising; not so good. but then update too far apart and you some readers. I"m trying to update 'A Puppet in the Hand' no more than once a week, see how that goes... What do youse all reckon?

I think it's better to update as soon as, once a week sounds good Sophie. I don't write on schedule unfortunately, go through phases of writing heaps and then nothing at all, so my updates are random as hell. But nah, review forums are great.

If I'm planning to get a story published, is it okay to have it posted on FP while I'm still writing it? This is fun, so I'd rather if it is okay, but I remember someone saying FP has a weak copyright and their story was stolen a while back.

f I'm planning to get a story published, is it okay to have it posted on FP while I'm still writing it? This is fun, so I'd rather if it is okay, but I remember someone saying FP has a weak copyright and their story was stolen a while back.

Absolutely. Getting stuff stolen isn't as common as it may seem... it's like how on the news you only ever hear about bad people, but most people are pretty decent, you just don't hear about them. And if someone doesn't have enough energy to write their own story, it's highly unlikely they'll have the energy to go through the rigor of getting it published - finding an agent who likes it, finding publishers who like it, editing, often remodeling, etc, ...

I got my stuff stolen on FP and posted on another site about nine months ago...the whole thing, and story short: they had over 1000 people reading MY story! Under THEIR name! I was so %$$#^ pissed off!!!!!

BUT I'm trying to scare them away with a homemade copyright, the bastards.

I feel really nervous about that kind of thing too, I don't know, in the back of my mind I'm really scared it will happen again...but I really want feedback on my stuff, also, deep in the back of my mind I feel like maybe I could publish this stuff AFTER I kind of write something else...it really puts it in perspective being in a creative writing program, I mean, my profs. are like actual authors with book agents and they deathly fear the Internet, though they are a bunch of old men...I don't know, I share a huge helping of nervousness, but that's pretty much because my story Vampire and The Romantics was stolen from me.

I don't think it took much effort for them, they literally just copied and pasted each chapter and took out my author notes...blah. Hate her. Luckily though I got her kicked off her site AND the other site wanted me to re-post my story under my name and I was like: uh, NO. So I pulled everything from Fictionpress during the summer and when school started that's why I'm back, I'm giving everyone a second chance...sorry I ended up ranting, touchy subject.

Ah, I'm so sorry that happened to you!! :( I'll admit, if a story of mine got stolen, I would be so heartbroken and so pissed off. I don't think I'd ever put stuff online ever again.

This one story of mine, Dead End, the only thing I've actually ever finished, I had on FP back in 2005, but it was nothing really special. I found it buried in my computer one day two years ago and completely remade it, and finished it. Granted, I now think it's a piece of garbage, but I'll never put it back on FP. I almost don't want Mal'ethil online sometimes; that's my baby and I would die if it were stolen. But at the same time, I want people to read it, so.... :P

I feel the same way about Vampire and The Romantics, the one that was stolen, which had been on the site since 2004, was not the one that's up now--the one that's up now is the revision, it's just...I don't know, I thought it was a really stupid terrible story made for like, eighth graders or something, but then it turned out that I had a lot of loyal fans who really enjoyed it and I realized my ideas that I thought were childish and stupid were actually kind of cool...so I decided to revise it, I mean, I'm in the process of completely re-writing the whole thing for a third time, and I'm super nervous about it getting stolen again, so I use a lot of "COPYRIGHTED" signs, haha..

With INSIWB though, I have a lot of different versions of this same story, at least five, but for the past few years I haven't been able to finish any of them, the version that's up now was one intended more specifically with fictionpress in mind. I wouldn't be as heartbroken if it was stolen, but it would make me nervous--I'm always afraid someone might actually steal the "ideas" you know?

In my situation, I have friends and family who just don't like to read, and no one ever reads my stuff, so Fictionpress was a wonderful alternative for feedback that I don't get from home. That's a huge reason why I'm here, it's why I came back after a few months, I just couldn't stand "not knowing" what people thought. So yep, I understand the risks, but I'll still keep coming back--plus, I think it's a pretty unique community. I had no idea there were so many writers out there until 2004 when I joined and was like "Uh....woah." A little intimidating, but it's so fun to connect with your readers, and that's something not even a real author really gets.

*oh dear, I got all sentimental for fictionpress...I better go dig around in Supernatural and find a terribly written story to bring me back to reality...* XD

heh heh, it is amazing the range that FP has, isn't it ? XD when you happen across the occasional one that is just ... well, bad, on so many levels, like the author just bla-a-a-a-ared all over the page and never even reread... I never quite know where to start with those reviews. You want to give constructive criticism and help them improve, but theres an awful that could be improved on and you don't want to scare them off writing again by criticising too much... but then theres teh pieces that just make your jaw drop and your insides broil with sickening jealousy, they're that good XD

I think its awesome being able to have that close contatc with the readers, i mean, i know published authors get letters, but they don't get to go with teh readers chapter by chapter through their journey like you do here. its so helpful to me, that definately outweighs teh risks of getting plagiarised (until it happens, of course. Even though I know of Em's stuff and some other people's being stolen, I still can't really make myself believe someone would bother stealing mine.)

A few people have published their (own) fictionpress works too, so that doesn't seem to be a problem. not that publishing really enters ito my consciousness in any kind of serious way, though, it all seems way too hard and the odds incredibly low, apart from anything else, like having something decent enough XD

not that publishing really enters ito my consciousness in any kind of serious way, though, it all seems way too hard and the odds incredibly low, apart from anything else, like having something decent enough XD

It used to be like that for me until I started college. Because I'm in a program specifically for creative writers and I'm going to school for it I feel certain I will get published one day, however--you probably will never hear of me and my pieces will probably be short stories or something, entirely different from what I write now, which is YA and is always under-appreciated in academics. So I know that I will be published, I just don't expect to make a living off of it, which is too bad considering I probably won't be able to find a job, XD.

Up on my stage right now besides a witch/vampire, shapeshifter, and human (super funny because the chapter incorporates a stage/backstage setting):

I finally did it. I steeled myself and clicked the dreadful "add chapter" button.

Chapter Four is up on I Never Said I Was Brave and is here to stay. By saying that I assure it's existence and survival.

I anticipate this being it's only real promotion within the next week and a half, since I'm only about ten days away from Finals week right now, but once Finals are over I will (have already promised Sophie) repay all of you with so many reviews you will be like "dude, my inbox is full!" and thus you will have the best day of your life due to me and my magnificence. Ahem. Anyway.

Yup. This chapter is now singing, dancing, spinning plates, playing electric guitar and doing ti-kwon-do (sp?) all over this stage. XD

I've entered the December WCC with Seeing in Sepia, and I'd love some critical feedback (well, actually I'd love glowing praise, but the critical feedback would definitely be more helpful :P). And if you like it, you can vote for me here from later today! I will repay all reviews. Thank you, lovely people!